Local Gitlab runner with docker executor without Docker desktop
Awhile ago I had a CI/CD problem with one of my open-source projects because I regularly hit my CI/CD quota on Gitlab.com pipelines. The solution I came up with was to set up gitlab runner on my Macbook Pro, my daily-driver laptop. Like on Gitlab.com, I use a docker executor, and since I had Docker Desktop already installed, everything just worked. However, the laptop isn't an always-on machine, so I got a new base Mac mini and this post explains the setup. One of the goals was to not use Docker Desktop as the Mac mini has much lower RAM allotment (16 GB) than my laptop and is intended to be used headless.